Criggion Station May Find New Use

Criggion Station is a once-vital yet long-abandoned naval station in the hills of Wales that aided some key naval victories in the Second World War and was also used quite heavily during the Cold War. Now, bidders on the property are seeking to restore its usefulness. Their intention is to restore the quality of the building and turn Criggion Station into the site of a museum on the history of Wales.

The site has not seen use in quite some time. In some ways it was a secondary outpost, as the United Kingdom already had a communications center in Warwickshire, but they were concerned that it was more well-known than the site at Criggion Station and therefore more likely to be attacked. The center came in handy, as it was used for giving orders to sink the German ship, the Bismark, as well as the General Belgrano. It therefore became nearly as prominent and useful a location as that in Warwickshire, if not more so.

Serving more than just the areas around the United Kingdom, the center has radio towers which stand several hundred feet tall and are able to broadcast internationally. Now, it hardly looks important at all as the walls are rotting and faded away. Criggion Station still houses remnants of the old radios and other electronics that made it so useful decades ago. After it surpassed the Rugby center in WWII, it went on to become vital during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Mail Online reports.

Now, the current owners are selling off the property, with some bidders planning to create a war museum out of the shell of the once-useful building. A great deal of the museum would most likely serve to relate the importance of Criggion Station itself, as well as other important events in and around Wales during the Second World War and the Cold War. Hoping for a sale in late June, Telereal Trillium (the site’s owners) have asked all potential bidders for outlines on their plans for the building. This may raise the likelihood that the museum will become a reality.

Criggion Station has been a site of prominence for decades, so many would prefer that it goes to good use rather than continues to waste away physically. Those planning to continue the building’s importance as a landmark only have three other bidders to compete against, so their chances are relatively fair. This means that the importance of Criggion Station to both the United Kingdom and the United States may soon be put on exhibition for all to see.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE